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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · ruler · plane · band · lash · arm · cue · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — a tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — for pool
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com